Ally
by high funcioning fangirl
Summary: There are two sides in Middle Earth; the good one and the bad one. What if someone unwillingly stands in between? How the good ones will take news about his "betrayal"? And what will happen to him when Sauron falls? No slash, rated T for possible violence and language.
1. Thranduil the traitor

**Ally**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the way how words are arranged. Characters belong to Tolkien, except possible OCs.**

**Author_'_s note: This is my first fanfic so please do be so kind and tell me, what you think. Constructive critisism is welcome, flames are not. I apologize for possible grammatical errors, after all, English is not my mother tongue.**

_Third Age, after Battle on the Fields of Pellenor_

Clouds were hanging from the sky. They seemed full of rain. Gentle wind was blowing from the river. Flags of Eryn Lasgalen were flopping in the wind. Besides of that, Elvenking's camp was alive with usual life after battle. Tend the wounded, fix the armours and swords which were damaged and, you know, things like that.

Group of counsellors and others (such as one wizard, two future kings, two hobbits, one dwarf and one Marshal of Ridemark) were gathered in front of small stage near the centre of the camp.

Legolas Thranduilion felt frustrated. His father was to announce something and he could not get any answers "until I announce it". He was frustrated beyond measure. _Why he is suddenly so full of secrets? He usually answers the questions, no matter what I ask, so what is it this time? _He fought the urge to kick into something. Instead of it he was standing in front of stage with his friends, smoking a cigarette.

Inside the tent, king Thranduil Oropherion was having hard time. He was leaning against the tent pillar and breathing heavily. Blood was pounding in his temples and he felt rather sick. He gasped for breath but oxygen was far beyond his reach.

"_Traitor! Fool! You belong to me! You cannot run away from me! You are not telling them!"_ And then, there was this voice. Black speech was enough to make his ears bleed.

His temperature was raising rapidly. His hands now felt as if he had a fever.

"_I belong to no one_," he resisted. Voice in his head laughed. It sounded like screeching of metal. His hands began to tremble. _I cannot go out like this._

_"And yes, I am doing this. Leave now and never come back!"_ he screamed internally. Voice finally shut up, but he heard it's laughter which again sounded much like screeching of metal.

"_As you wish, my beloved one. You will crawl back before the end, just you wait!_" Thranduil fought the urge to scream. _"Only in your dreams! Me and crawling back to you? Are you sure that you haven't mistaken me for someone?"_

Voice said no more. Thranduil could finally breathe freely and even fever had passed. He stood up straight. _It's time. Now or never. _

He left the tent. Short walk to a stage was shorter than he wished it to be. He turned his face to the gathering. His mouth was suddenly dry and his head completely empty. In his long life he had very few of moments when he could not found the words. This was very much one of them.

"Mae govannen, my lords and friends. I will say this quickly for I see no point in prolonging it," he took a deep breath.

"In my life I was trying to be the person and the king that anyone could be proud of. And the truth that I have to face is, that I failed." Confusion appeared on several faces and slight protest was buzzing around.

Thranduil raised his palm. "Saes." His voice sounded sharper than he intended. But effect came immediately. Even wind appeared to be silent. Expecting_._

"I am allied to Sauron. I will not ask you for forgiveness, because I know that I deserve none." He spat it out. The blood was pounding loudly in his ears. This was the end approaching, he knew. Wind started to blow softly again, cooling his hot cheeks.

He recalled death of Saruman. Wind sounded similarly that day. Wizard had been asking for it. And what was the reason, why Saruman had to die? Ah, yes...

"_You WILL send him away._" _Saruman looked calm._

_And so was Thranduil. "No. I refuse. Legolas is no kinslayer. I will not see this happening."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"You heard me well, Saruman . I WILL NOT."_

_Wizard slapped Thranduil's cheek. An unexpected blow send him to the ground._

_"HOW DARE YOU?!"_

_Saruman did not answer. He pulled Thranduil into standing position and dragged him to nearby table. He violently pressed Thranduil's palms against the wood._

_"I am asking you, have you changed your mind?!"_

_"Never."_

_Wizard produced blade from his robes and he was too fast. And also stronger than he seemed. He held Thranduil's hand and he cut through Thrandui's hand until blade bored into the wood. Thranduil did not make a sound so wizard continued cutting until pain was unbearable. He cried out._

_"Listen to me, elfling, and listen close. You will send him away or I will kill him and your people (Saruman twisted the knife what was followed by screams of Elvenking)_ _one by one (Elvenking's eyes widened)and every single person in Middle Earth will know your secretes," he hissed and pulled out the blade. _

_Elvenking collapsed on the floor, holding his right hand which was covered by blood. He breathed heavily._

_"Now, are we clear?" Thranduil nodded. Deaths of his son and his people were unbearable to imagine. He had to do it._

Thranduil elegantly leaped down from the stage and almost ran to his tent nearby. He felt even more sick than before. In his tent he collapsed to his knees and threw up his own blood.

Legolas wanted to scream, to cry, to break something, to DO something. He felt numb. And betrayed. His father, his king, person whom he looked up onto. He could not believe that Thranduil wasn't actually joking around. Yet he knew that his father did not lie. _But how? HOW this can be possible?! He couldn't...! Or could he? _

_There was darkness. He could not see a thing. Strong arms were holding him but that was fine. He was afraid, what might happen if those arms let him go. And then there were screams. He knew it should be loud but screams sounded as if muffled by thick cloth. He could soon recognize one voice. It was woman's. His dear beloved nana. Soon he was able to recognize the words. _

_"Take him away!"_

_And then... little elfling woke up in his bed. He was shivering and tears welled in his eyes. He knew that sleeping is forfeit if he stays in his leaped out of bed and slipped out of chamber. He crossed the small hall and opened the intricately carved door with golden inlays._

_Room was lit by few variously placed candles and fire from the hearth. Adult elf with golden hair and ivory skin was lying in a bed, half asleep._

_"Ada?"_

_Elf in a bed darted into sitting position, wiping sleep away from his green eyes .In the spare light his hair looked like gold. Elfling was standing in a doorway._

_"Was it that nightmare again?"_

_Elfling nodded. "It was so dark." I was scared. He didn't say that .He wanted to be brave so there was no place for fear. But then, if he was so brave why had he run to his father? _

_Thranduil smiled and extended his arms._

_"Come to me."_

_Legolas crossed the distance between the door and the bed and leaped into his father's embrace. Thranduil held him tight._

_"Do not be afraid, tithen las. I am here. Go back to sleep, you are safe with me. I would not let them touch you. "_

_Thranduil kissed his son's temple._

_"Will I be as brave as you one day?"_

_Thranduil laughed. " Baw, you'll be braver. Sleep now." _

_He was cradled. Yes, he was safe, nothing could happen to him. His ada was nearby. He slowly drifted into sleep again._

He ran away. He could not bear it, he felt hurt. His father. His FATHER! He wanted to throw up but unlike Thranduil, he could not get rid of pain so easily.

He sat on the riverbank, about a mile away in some bushes. Gimli followed him.

"Laddie, are you alright?"

"Yes, I am fine." Needless to say, that he lied and dwarf knew that very well. Gimli sat down next to him, not knowing what to say. Legolas curled into a ball, hugging his knees. They sat in silence.

Legolas waited for sudden turmoil in nearby camp but there was none except severall loud horn blast calling for counsel meeting. He decided to skip it this time. He must have fallen asleep somehow because he woke up as sun was rising.

_Meanwhile in Thranduil's tent_

Thranduil knew exactly what was happening as he threw up more and more blood. Dark lord was calling him. And he was determined not to surrender to the call.

"_You lost your people. You lost your son. Come to me._" Sauron chose to continue in Black speech as if Thranduil had not had enough.

Thranduil built up his mind shields and there was quiet again. Even the pain seemed to disappear. Galion was wiping his face and back of his neck with wet towel. He said nothing. There was no need to. Thranduil had told him long time ago.

"Galion, saes, could you get me into standing position?"

"Let's see what I can do."

Galion gave him support and Thranduil stood up. His head was spinning but after a good long while he was able to stand by himself.

There was not much to do for two of them so they sat down by the table in temporary counsel room and they were simply chatting about unimportant stuff, avoiding to a painful topics such as was Legolas for Thranduil. Thranduil could not help himself, knowing that he had done wrong, he felt kind of betrayed as well.

"Galion?"

"Eh?"

"This is the way how you talk to your king?"

"No, this is the way I talk to my mostly annoying childhood friend. What is it you wish for?"

Thranduil chuckled to himself. Galion was something closest to best friend he ever had and held absolutely no respect to him. At least it looked like it. Galion considered himself to be Thranduil's "internal voice" and you know how your internal voice sometimes says that you are useless idiot. Well...

"I was wondering, don't you have a cigarette by accident?"

"By accident I do. I thought you are not able to smoke. Have something changed?"

Thranduil shrugged his shoulders. "You are willing to risk choking on it? You truly are an idiot," Galion said but eventually handed him that cigarette.

Thranduil did not appear to be choking on it so they sat and smoked inside the tent. And world outside was boiling with doubts, worries and, most importantly, betrayed anger.


	2. Thranduil the Elvenking

**Thanks to anyone who actually read first chapter and those who followed.**

**I hope you'll like this one.**

**This chapter is dedicated to KatieElizabethGrace :)**

CHAPTER 2 – THRANDUIL THE ELVENKING

_/flashback/_

_3543 years ago, Battle of Last Alliance_

_It's pouring. Soil is so muddy that I can barely walk, let alone fighting. But fight I must, for there is no other choice._

_The enemy is great in number. Sky is too dark for midday, as if it wanted to embrace darkness. And then there is this wet slippery ground. It is not just the rain, you know. It is the blood of elves, men and orcs staining the ground. _

_I don't feel. I don't think. I am just a weapon and I move fast. And then I hear this voice calling my name. It has cold undertone, which is neither good nor pleasant. I shiver but otherwise I refuse to react .One problem at time. My current top priority problem is orc trying to kill me _now.

_And then I hear it again._

"Thranduil..."

_I look around._ What the hell...?

"Look around."

_I am looking around, searching for the owner of the voice. There are but five who can talk to me in thoughts. And none of their "voices" has this cold undertone. I cut off the orc's head in process. _

_Another orc. It swung it's blade in attempt to cut off my head. I ducked and stabbed him into the gut. I was feeling tired. I've been awake for weeks now, fighting ever since dawn._

"You are not looking."

Of course I am not looking, damn it! I am trying to survive here!

"Look for me."

How am I supposed to look for you? I don't know who you are? How can you talk to me?

_Echo of the laughter._ " You are not protected as well as you think you are..."

_I lost focus for a second. And another orc managed to cut open my left forearm. I scream and almost cut it into two halves. _

_I did not want this. I did not want to watch others die. Why can't Sauron find himself some other place to do his things?_

"Maybe he likes something on Arda."

And how would_ you _know?

"Look for me..."

Yes, but HOW?! Can you prevent me from dying while I'll take a look?

_Space around me is suddenly empty. It feels as if I had some sort of shield around myself. I stand not full mile from Mt. Doom and I have a full view on what was happening in there. I checked up, looking for my family. They were nowhere to be seen._

"Adar?"

_Answer took a good long while. _"Keep fighting, Thranduil. Do not let them win." _I knew he wasn't dead, but he was not that far from death. I suppose I should have cried and run to look for him. But no, I did not. I could not. _

Who are you?

"Wait and see..."

How come that you actually can protect me? Who are you?

"I am your ally."

I do not have allies. I am neither king nor lord.

"You have me. "

_I remember running. To save someone? Maybe. I was getting closer to the Mount Doom, closer to armies of Gil-Galad and Elendil, king of men._

Who are you?

"Look up."

_I heard deep rumbling sound and I look up. I am far from first line but how can you overlook ten feet tall figure which seems to be made of metal? And that was my first time, when I saw the dark lord._

"You are not looking," _scolded the voice in my head._

I am! _I am getting frustrated. My father is dying, I have no time to exchange pleasantries with someone .I am in the middle of the battle, damn it! _

"Oh yes, you are. But you don't _see."_

Maybe I don't. Where are you? _Who_ are you?

"I told you, I am your ally."

Stop this nonsense!

"Just look. You cannot possibly overlook _me_."

_And so I looked. I looked around and suddenly, out of blue, it clicked._

Oh Valar. _My _ally _is the dark lord._

_I hear echo of his laughter. Unpleasant sound. Like screeching of metal._

"I will kill what you love."

_Nooo!_

_/end of flashback/_

"Thranduil? Thranduil!" Galion was beyond frustrated. Thranduil was not listening. Again.

"Hmmm. What?"

"Well, finally! I am yelling at you for good long while."

Thranduil scowls at him. "What is it that you want?"

Galion tries to suppress a grin. "Stop scowling at me. I did nothing but if you don't put off that cigarette, you'll burn your fingers soon enough."

Thranduil sighs and throws the cigarette butt away. "One would think that it will taste better after all those years, but no. It's still awful. Do you want anything else?"

Galion sobers. "Yes. Herethin is walking towards us and looks extremely upset, to put it nicely."

Thranduil rolls his eyes. "He will skin me, if not for my treachery, then for not showing up. I need to find Nephertari."

"I don't know how about Herethin, however I doubt that he would skin you. But Nephertari certainly will. Last time I saw her, she was in foul mood because of Legolas's... whatever. I am sure that current situation with you will do no good to her mood," says Galion.

"I am well aware of that. But I wonder, what has Legolas done to her? He insists that he has done nothing but I somehow doubt that," said Thranduil.

"THRANDUIL! Focus! One could say that you absolutely don't care about the fate of Arda."

"I do, but more do I care about happiness of my son and his wife. Besides, if they think I am a traitor, what can I do about it?"

"Concerning Legolas and Nephertari, they're both adults. You cannot solve their marriage problems. And concerning yours supposed treachery, you can simply tell them the truth. Both Nephertari and I know that you are no traitor."

"I have already told them the truth and..."

Herethin approached them and raised his to slap Thranduil. Thranduil's hand jerked up and he caught Herethin's wrist in mid-air.

"Don't," Thranduil's voice sounded cool and clear when he let go of Herethin.

"I cannot believe this! How could you?! Haven't you lost enough?!" Herethin yelled as he grabbed Thranduil by shoulders.

"Herethin! Calm down!" Galion hissed and tore him away from Thranduil.

"How can I "calm down" when HE," pointed at Thranduil, "had sinned, betrayed and only Valar know what does Sauron know from him now!"

Thranduil looked mostly indifferent. Galion tightened his grip on Herethin's shoulder. "Herethin, you, like most of those who heard Thranduil's _confession_, are missing bigger picture. What if I told you... No, forget about it," Galion shook his head and let go.

"How can you be so indifferent?! How could you have done _that_?!" demanded Herethin.

"Herethin, are you familiar with the legend of Oropher's crown?" asked Thranduil with indifferent undertone in his voice.

Herethin didn't answer. He, as a close friend of late Elvenking, Thranduil's father, was pretty much familiar with the legend. He slowly nodded. Thranduil raised an eyebrow at him. "Well?"

As much as Herethin wanted to know what Thranduil wants to hear, he had never captured his way of thinking. "Well, legend of Oropher's crown could be also referred as a _deal _or _contract _between Silvan elves and their king, Oropher," he said it in monotone, like a history lesson. However, this was not just _any _history lesson. Herethin had been there that day, when Oropher made a deal with seven Silvan lords and seven Silvan ladies.

Thranduil had yet not been born in that time. Herethin was surprised that neither Thranduil nor Galion had cut him off. They probably knew more about the deal than Herethin himself, spending their almost entire youths stuck in various libraries, taking in any knowledge they were able to get.

"Main point of the deal was the Elvenking's crown which was given to him by Silvan elves. It was supposed to have magical properties to always _recognize _its king and protect him as long as..." Herethin abruptly stopped. _As long as he is worthy. But this cannot be!_

"As long as what?" asked Thranduil.

Herethin instead of an answer collapsed to his knees and buried his face in Thranduil's robe. "_Goheno nín, _my king, forgive me, that I have doubted you."

"How can this be? I mean, your supposed alliance with Sauron?" asked Herethin, disbelieving.

"Stand up, Herethin," Thranduil said, offering him a hand."I will not speak of it _here."_

Herethin stood up and followed Thranduil and Galion to the tent.

"Have a seat, Herethin, this might take a while," Galion offered him a chair. Thranduil threw himself onto his "throne". Herethin sat down, slightly uncomfortable. They were sitting in the silence for a while.

"Well, do you still want to know?" asked Thranduil. Herethin nodded, watching the Elvenking intently. Galion sighed and poured himself a cup of wine. He had heard of this many years ago, so he had no desire to hear it again, but how could he leave his king, who had unbelievable ability to get himself into trouble.

"What I am going to tell you, will sound unbelievable, so I have to make sure that you will not try to drug me and mark me as hopeless fool," said Thranduil calmly.

**TBC**

**Some secrets will be revealed in the next chapter :)**

**Please R&R **


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